There was a huge snowstorm in December (a foot and a half of snow fell in our neighborhood) and Penn was really bummed because we missed it by a matter of hours. We flew out at noon that Friday to visit my family for Christmas, and thank goodness we flew out when we did because six hours later the snow had started and flights were canceled. One of my friends was supposed to fly home that Saturday and didn't end up actually being able to get on a flight until Wednesday. Suck. So, in my opinion we got really, really lucky that we didn't get stuck in that storm and miss half of our vacation but, like I said, Penn was really grumpy that we missed it. The guy is a real fan of the snow. We were recently watching a skiing documentary and the narrator said that the spot they were skiing in Alaska got an average of 600 inches of snow PER YEAR. Penn said, "Wouldn't that be awesome?" I said "That's too much," and he said, "It would be fun! You wouldn't have to do any shoveling. That's my job," and I said, "Whose job is it going to be to put snowsuits on our hypothetical children every day?" I'm pretty sure I won that round. Anyway, my point is, I thought I was a snow lover, but Penn puts me to shame.
Well, it looks like Penn was bummed for nothing, because the snow has not gone away. When we got home from our Christmas vacation there were still piles of snow on the ground from the pre-Christmas storm. It was mostly melted, but there were these huge piles on the sidewalk and in the corners of parking lots from where the plows had pushed up the snow and left it. And then we had a small snow storm and the ground was covered all over again. And then just a couple of weeks ago--almost a month after the first big snow--we had a "January thaw" and all of the snow finally melted. I started thinking that maybe I'd be able to start using my bike again soon (it has been hibernating since the last week of November). But then on Saturday we had what I would consider a "major" snowstorm: it snowed all day long, 4-5 inches accumulated on the ground, the truck was slipping and sliding all over the place as we drove around trying to find a place that was open for dinner, the tutoring classes I was supposed to teach were called off. That night we were lying in bed and I heard these strange groaning and scraping noises from outside. I grabbed Penn and said, "What's that?!" and he started laughing and said, "Haven't you ever heard snow plows before?" Well...no. I can't say that falling asleep to the sound of snowplows working outside is something this southerner was familiar with.
Anyway, that storm alone would have satisfied me for the winter. I'm used to my home state, where we could count on one good school-canceling snow each winter. Some years we didn't even get that. And keep in mind that ANY snow sent the state into a panic, so I'm talking about school being canceled for all of 1-2 inches. Now I live up here in the almost-north and for the first two winters I lived here we had a handful of snowstorms, one of which each winter was "major" and amounted to 3-5 inches. I just assumed that's how winter would always be here: significantly colder than my home state, but not all that much snow. This week, however, has been ridiculous. There was all that snow on Saturday. Penn and I took advantage of it to go out to the soccer field and take some self portraits for our save-the-dates. I'm not planning to send them out until summer, but I'm really pleased with how they turned out considering it was an impromptu project and we had to photograph ourselves. We were going to take the dog for a walk in the snow anyway and I figured hey, while we're doing that we might as well see if we can take some pictures of ourselves in the snow. I think it will be fun for everyone to get a nice, snowy, winter-y invitation in the middle of the summer. A nice preview for January!
Anyway, then it snowed another 3 inches or so overnight last night. It was my favorite kind of snow, too, the kind that is wet enough to coat the tree branches. It was beautiful outside today. Oh, and I had the fun experience of backing the truck up through the foot of snow the plows had piled up behind it. It was fun, actually. I just put it in reverse and gunned it and smashed right through the snow.
And I'm glad the novelty of snow hasn't worn off, because we're supposed to get another big storm this weekend. It was described as "potentially crippling" by the one meteorologist who is actually fairly accurate most of the time and I'm pretty sure I also heard it referred to as a possible snow hurricane. What the heck is a snow hurricane?! Is that even real? Anyway, the average snowfall for the city is about 18 inches per winter. I'm pretty sure we're close to 30 inches this winter already, and that's not counting whatever the "snow hurricane" brings this weekend. And it's only the first week of February. What the WHAT?
I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I really do like the snow and to me this feels like a "real" winter, which is what I have always wanted to experience. It's amazing to me that there can still be snow on the ground from the last storm while another snow storm is on the horizon. Still, I think this is probably the most winter I can take. I can't imagine living in a place in the true snow belt where there is snow on the ground from November until April. I'm sure digging the truck out and trudging past the grey drifts on the sidewalk and putting boots on every freakin' time you want to go outside would get old really quickly if it had to be done for weeks at a time. Right now snow is still enough of a novelty and happens few enough times each winter that it's fun and exciting when it is forecast. I'd hate to get so much snow that it's no longer fun. That's what happened to rain. Growing up in the desert, every rainstorm was always thrilling. Now the only kind of storms I really like are the big thunderstorms, and those are rare here. Most of the time when it rains now I'm just annoyed that I have to wait for the bus in the rain and can't go out on the bike. I'd hate to start feeling the same way about snow.
Anyway, then it snowed another 3 inches or so overnight last night. It was my favorite kind of snow, too, the kind that is wet enough to coat the tree branches. It was beautiful outside today. Oh, and I had the fun experience of backing the truck up through the foot of snow the plows had piled up behind it. It was fun, actually. I just put it in reverse and gunned it and smashed right through the snow.
And I'm glad the novelty of snow hasn't worn off, because we're supposed to get another big storm this weekend. It was described as "potentially crippling" by the one meteorologist who is actually fairly accurate most of the time and I'm pretty sure I also heard it referred to as a possible snow hurricane. What the heck is a snow hurricane?! Is that even real? Anyway, the average snowfall for the city is about 18 inches per winter. I'm pretty sure we're close to 30 inches this winter already, and that's not counting whatever the "snow hurricane" brings this weekend. And it's only the first week of February. What the WHAT?
I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I really do like the snow and to me this feels like a "real" winter, which is what I have always wanted to experience. It's amazing to me that there can still be snow on the ground from the last storm while another snow storm is on the horizon. Still, I think this is probably the most winter I can take. I can't imagine living in a place in the true snow belt where there is snow on the ground from November until April. I'm sure digging the truck out and trudging past the grey drifts on the sidewalk and putting boots on every freakin' time you want to go outside would get old really quickly if it had to be done for weeks at a time. Right now snow is still enough of a novelty and happens few enough times each winter that it's fun and exciting when it is forecast. I'd hate to get so much snow that it's no longer fun. That's what happened to rain. Growing up in the desert, every rainstorm was always thrilling. Now the only kind of storms I really like are the big thunderstorms, and those are rare here. Most of the time when it rains now I'm just annoyed that I have to wait for the bus in the rain and can't go out on the bike. I'd hate to start feeling the same way about snow.
Right now I'm okay with the six-more-weeks of winter thing. But check back with me after this weekend's storm. It may just be an enough-is-enough situation.
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